James a



J. A. WILSON. COMBINED REED AND HEDDLE FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4;19|9.

Patented July 15,

x a J 1 25 i following specification,

UNITED @TATEE PATENT QFFIGE.

JAMES A. WILSON, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.

COMBINED REED AND HEDDLE-FRAME.

Application filed April 4, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns A. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Central Falls, in the county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Reeds and Heddle-Frames, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined reed and heddle-frame and consists of improvements in the construction and arrangement of the heddles or dents in the frame. A particular object of my improvement is to provide a heddle-frame for hand-looms which maybe employed both as a harness for shifting the warp-yarns, and as a reed for beating the weft-threads into place.

The improvement is fully described in the illustrated by the acin which like refercompanying drawings, I h

n t e ence characters designate like parts. drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved heddle-frame and reed; Fig. 2, a cross-sectional View of the same;

Fig. 3, a detail view showing the method of holding the heddles or dents in spaced relation in the frame; a

Fig. 4, a perspective view of a modified form of the heddle or dent; and

Fig. 5, a plan view of the blank from which this form of heddle is constructed. Referring first to Fig. 1 my improved heddle-frame and reed F comprises, in general, upper and lower longitudinal framemembers 2 and 3, between which are supported the vertical heddles or dents 4 arranged in spaced relation therealong. The frame-members 2 and 3 are preferably constructed in the form of tubular rods having openings 5 and 6 extending along their lower and upper sides, respectlvely, to adapt them to inclose the opposite ends of the heddles 4. The ends 'of the two frame-members or rods 2 and 3 are braced apart by uprights 7, 7 consisting of flat bars extending therebetween. The bars 7 have their ends in serted in the openings 5 and 6 of the rods 2 and 3 and are soldered, brazed or otherwise secured in place therein. The ends of the rods 2 and 3 are then closed by circular caps 8 soldered thereto or the end openings may be filled withsolder to provide a smooth finish.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Serial No. 287,386.

The heddles or dents 4 consist of relatively thin, flat bars of a width to adapt their ends to fit snugly into the openings 5 and 6 1n the rods 2 and 3. When arranged in this manner extendin between the two rods the heddles 4 are maintained in spaced relation by coiled, wire springs 9 and 10, see Figs. 2 and 3. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, one coil of the spring 10 separates each two heddles and the remaining space in the hollow of the rod 3 is filled with solder to hold the parts in permanent fixed relation.

To adapt my improved reed and heddleframe to be used as a harness I provide the heddles 4 with guide-eyes for the warpyarns to restrict the movement of the latter up and down in the spaces between the heddles. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 each alternate pair of heddles 4, 4 is connected by two blocks 11, 11, spaced a slight distance apart at the center of the heddles. These blocks 11 may be formed of solder poured in a molten state between the heddle-bars and confined in place by molds formed of plaster or other material which is afterward removed. After the solder has hardened the blocks 11 are filed down and rounded off on their edges to provide smooth surfaces which will not abrade the yarns. If desired, the blocks 11 might be formed of metal soldered or brazedto the sides of the heddles, but I have found that they may be constructed more cheaply by pouring solder in to fill the spaces.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a modified form of the heddles in which the cross-' ties or connecting pieces are constructed as integral parts of the heddle-bars. In this embodiment of the invention a pair of integral heddles 12, 12 are stamped or punched out of sheet-metal Wlltll their opposite edges connected by cross-strips or tabs 13, 13. Fig. 5 illustrates the heddle-blank made in this form and by bending the two bars 12,

12 into position with their flat sides parallel, as shown in Fig. 4, the tabs 13 are caused to form connecting cross-strips extending be- -tween the heddles. This form of heddle is assembled in the frame in the same manner as the solder-connected bars or dents 4 above described and the arran ement of the threadeyes between the bed les will be substantially the same, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

the shuttle is passed. The opening of the shed is efiected by simply moving the frame F up and down to cause the yarns y confined in the guide-eyes 15 to move therewith While the other yarns 3 being free to slide in the unrestricted spaces between the heddles, remain attheir normal level. After the shed has been opened in this manner, and the shuttle passed through it, the weft yarn inserted by the shuttle is beaten up into place at the fell of the fabric by carrying the frame F bodily forward. My improved heddle-frame is thus utilizable both as a harness and as a reed, the heddles 4- serving to manipulate the warp-yarns to form the shed and also acting as dents to beat the filling or weft-yarns into the fell of the cloth.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated the threadeyes 15 for the yarns y as arranged in alternate succession along the heddles. This arrangement is employed for plain weaving, but for fancy weaves the eyes may be disposed in different relation in accordance with the design or pattern to be produced in the cloth. For instance, the thread-eyes could be grouped together in palrs, alternating with pairs of heddles without eyes, or any other suitable grouping of the yarns could be provided fo The drawings show the heddle-bars as somewhat thicker than what are generally used, and the width of the spaces between the bars is also exaggerated in order to show the structure of the parts more clearly. In practice the heddles employed are extremely thin and are placed close together to form the guide-eyes for the yarns, is of particular advantage as providing for this so that a relatively large number may be used in the. frame for weaving fine yarns.

y improved method of joining the opposite sides of the heddles by blocks of solder,

close-spacing of the heddles in the frame F. Heretofore it has been thegeneral practice to employ heddles of twisted wire in the loom-harness 'thetwo wires being bowed apart at points to form-the guide-eyes; In other cases the fiat bars from which the heddles are constructed are punched with holes which serve'as guide-eyes, but with such an arrangement it is diflicult to thread the yarns through the eyes. With this latter form of heddle the yarn must make a sharp bend in passing through the guideeye when the heddles are placed in alinement with their sides parallel, so that the With my present improved arrangement the heddles may be spaced almost in contact, leaving only enough space for a fine yarn to pass between them, whileat the same time the connecting blocks between the hedin a harness, but without requiring that they be threaded through openings or eyes in the heddles.

Various modifications other than that herein shown might be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts of my improved heddle-frame and reed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, therefore without limiting myself to the exact embodiment described and illustrated, what I claim is:

1. In a combined reed and heddle-frame, the combination with opposite parallel frame-members, of a series of heddles consisting of relatively thin flat bars extending between the frame-members in parallel spaced relation therealong, and spaced dles provide for controlling the yarns as enough to provide for using the heddles as dents for beating up the filling.

so I

blocks connecting the opposite sides of'adjacent heddles of certain pairs, said blocks forming restricted openi s adapted to serve as ide-eyes for t between t e heddles.

2. In a combined reed and heddle-frame, the combination with the opposite parallel frame-members, of a series of relatively thin fiat heddle-barssupported at their'ends on' the frame-members and arranged in parallel spaced relation therealong, and means connecting the opposite sides of adjacent heddles of certain pairs at apart .to provide restricted openlngs adapted to serve as guide-eyes to control the vertical 'movement' of the yarns passing between the heddles.

3. In a combined reed and heddle-frame, the combination with upper and lower parallel frame-members formed of hollow rods having openings on their bottom and top sides respectively, of a plurality of heddles formed of relatively thin fiat bars arranged with their ends secured in the openings in the frame-members, and blocks of solder points spaced c yarns passing connecting the sides of adjacent heddles of the combination with top and bottom framemembers formed of tubular rods having openlngs on their bottom and top sides respectively, of a, plurality of fiat sheet-metal of adjacent heddles of certain pairs in heddles arranged with their ends inserted spaced relation thereon to provide restricted in the openings of the rods in spaced relaopenings adapted to serve as guide-eyes for 10 tion therealong, coiled wire springs extendthe yarns passing between the heddles.

ing within the sides of the rods with a coil In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

of the wire separating each two heddles,

and cross-pieces extending between the sides WILSON. 

